News

After two years as the President of Swedish American Chamber Commerce (SACC) in San Diego, Jimmie Berggren is now leaving his position to focus on other projects. We sat down to talk about his time as President and what he is going to focus on in the future.

Jimmie is originally from Helsingborg, Sweden, but came to San Diego early 2013 to establish himself there. During the first year he worked with strategic planning for a small boutique consulting firm that focuses on solving challenges arising from cultural differences within business processes, such as outsourcing, M&A’s or entering a new market. There he met Andreas Fried, the former President at SACC San Diego. Andreas got Jimmie involved as a board member for about six months before he handed over the position as President. Jimmie felt that this was a great opportunity and challenge and saw the need for change within the chamber.

”If I see something that needs to be fixed or improved, especially in the case of an organization, I can not help trying to do just that. So when I got the chance, there was no question about it.”

Hans Janzon

​Hans Janzon is a 64-year old from Gothenburg, Sweden and now the new President of SACC San Diego. Hans has great work experience from Swedish engineering, Cleantech and biotech companies and spent 12 years as CEO for Grolls, the Nordic regions largest specialist retailer for work wear and personal protection equipment.

​Now Mr. Janzon lives in San Diego with his American wife Rebecca, and two daughters 17 and 18 years old, which both are studying in San Diego. He also have a 31-year-old son living in Gothenburg, Sweden.

As the President of SACC San Diego Mr. Janzon wants to focus on cleantech companies and with his engineering background he can bring a broader understanding of these concepts. He also wants to build strong connections to Sweden through his good connections with Västsvenska Handelskammaren in Gothenburg, Sweden's largest chamber of commerce. Furthermore Mr. Janzon wants to be a mentor and support for the management associates of SACC San Diego.

SACC San Diego's board member Fabian Wallen, is a regular contributor in one of the largest newspapers in Sweden, Göteborgs Posten. Wallen is an economist and writer and has published reports for the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv). The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise is Sweden’s largest and most influential business federation representing 49 member organizations and 60 000 member companies with over 1.6 million employees.

A couple of days ago Wallen published a report about the future trade agreement between the EU and the U.S. via the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. It's title is "Economic Implications of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership" and you can read the report here in English (link).

Also, this past Saturday (December 5, 2015) Wallen's fifth chronicle was published on Göteborgs Posten. This time he discuss how there's a growing recognition of the need for reform during a crisis. Let it be a humanitarian or financial. You can read Mr. Wallen's chronicle here.

We also heard that our board member was interviewed by a Zimbabwean journal during his latest travel to the African country! Wallen sure has had his hands full this past month!

Mary Walshok is an author, educator, researcher and an associate Vice Chancellor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). She is an industrial sociologist and has published six books and over 100 articles and reports on regional innovation, the role of research institutions in regional economies and workforce development. As if this was not enough, Walshok is also an international member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA), and much more! A very impressive resume, indeed. She also happens to be part of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce San Diego’s Advisory Board.

In October Walshok was not only invited to Stockholm to receive a gold medal from Crown Prince Daniel, but also to London’s Buckingham Palace at the invitation of Prince Andrew . Prince Andrew is patron of the Northern Ireland Science Park, where Walshok is a member. After her first two stops in Europe Walshok continued on to Muscat, Oman, where Walshok interacted with the Sultan of Oman as a member of his technology and innovation advisory board. Talk about royal treatment!

SACC San Diego's board member Fabian Wallen, who is a regular contributor in one of the largest newspapers in Sweden. This month Mr. Wallen discuss how the Scandinavian welfare system has been a hot topic in the American presidential election campaign. You can read Mr. Wallen's chronicle here.

SACC - San Diego

The Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in San Diego, founded in 1989, has grown into a thriving network of companies and individuals interested in the commercial and social exchange between Sweden and the Southern California’s San Diego region.

Categories

SACC San Diego briefly

Find Us

The Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in San Diego is a thriving network of companies and individuals interested in the commercial and social exchange between Sweden and the Southern California’s San Diego region.﻿